A 109-room, three-story Staybridge Suites hotel – an extended-stay and corporate brand that is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group – will open on Route 60 this fall just east of the Walmart.

Neil Densmore, founder and president of Wisconsin-based Great Lakes Management Group, which will own and operate the hotel, said construction is expected to be completed by the end of October.

Staybridge Suites’ rooms will range in size from studios to two-bedrooms, and come with 49-inch televisions, full size refrigerators, microwaves, cook tops, dishwashers, garbage disposals, pots and pans, and full table settings, Densmore said. The hotel also will offer a fitness center, pool, business center and free hot breakfast.

“We selected this site as it was located close to the airport and historic Dodgertown, between downtown and Interstate 95 with close proximity to several support services from shopping at the mall, dining and gas,” Densmore told Vero Beach 32963.

“There was not an extended stay hotel in the Vero market and we felt a need for extended stay with the corporate business Vero currently has year-round, plus a place to offer for the people visiting Florida in the winter months rather than finding a short- term lease in a condo or apartment.”

Michael Yurocko, vice president and broker of Vero-based SLC Commercial, agrees the hotel could work in the area.

“Some people who want to come to Vero might not want to stay out by the interstate – they want to be closer to town,” Yurocko added. “They may like to stay on the beach, perhaps, but they don’t want to pay the rates.”

The hotel is part of Vero Beach Square, a 10-acre, $40 million retail and hospitality project developed by Konover South Development Corporation of Deerfield Beach. Konover, which CEO David Coppa said last year specializes in shopping centers in Florida, closed on the parcel in November 2017, paying $2.51 million for 9.66 wooded acres between Sonny's Barbeque and Applebee's Restaurant on the south side of Route 60.

Much of the retail component is already built and occupied. Already open are Tire Kingdom, Dunkin Donuts, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Supercuts, Express Nails and 1000 Degrees Pizza Salad Wings. Two storefronts in the strip mall are still up for lease. One undeveloped outparcel will likely become a fast food restaurant, while the other is slated to become a Murphy USA gas station.